By Lane Florsheim | Photography by Alasdair McLellan for WSJ. Magazine | Styling by Alice Goddard March 4, 2025 8:00 am ETWhen Lalisa Manobal was 14, she left her home in Thailand to become a star in South Korea. Shed been signed to one of the countrys biggest music labels, the only one chosen of thousands who auditioned in Bangkok. This wasnt a record deal but a chance at one. She arrived alone in Seoul, not speaking a word of Korean. Training days ran 15 hours. There were often no weekends, and certainly no guarantees of fame or fortune. Her peers spent years not knowing whether theyd make it; many quit before they could find out.Looking back on those punishing years, Manobal projects total positivity. She smilesa warm, wide grin broken only by the occasional giggle.Copyright 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8